Mechanism for controlling automatic musical instruments.



F. L. MCCORMICK.

MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-25. 1913.

l, 1 9 l ,205. Patented July 18, 1916.

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INVENTEIR 'IIIY ATTElRNEYi-l.

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFF/ICE.

FRANK L. MCCORMICK, OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE RUDOLPH WURLITZER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Application filed August 25, 1913. Serial No. 786,393.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, FRANK L. MoCoR- MICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Controllin Automatic Musical Instruments, of whic the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for controlling automatic musical instruments and other devices or machines operated by a coin-controlled motor, and-more particularly an electric motor.-

It sometimes happens that persons deposit coins in the chute during the playing of a selection, especially when a number of coinreceptacles or slot-boxes are placed at tables or other convenient stations in restau rants or other-public laces, for starting the instrument from 'di erent parts thereof. Such receptacles include a chute containing :switch terminals of the motor circuit which are bridged by the deposit of a nickel or other proper coin, closing the circuit and causing the instrument to play. By the use of ordinary coin chutes, the instrument will not play additional tunes upon the depos1t of such extra or additional coins, and-in order to give all patrons full value for their deposlts in such cases, controlling devices of various kinds have been devised to cause the instrument to play a selection for every coin deposited, regardless of whether a number of coins are dropped into the chutes at the same time or at different times during the playing of a piece.

The object of my invention is the provision of an improved controlling device of this character which shall be simple, com pact and inexpensive in construction and reliable in operation. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of the controlling device with the front plate of the casing removed, andshowing themotor switch closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the motor-switch open. Fig. 3 is an inside VIQWYOI the ratchet wheel showing the spring for turning it backward.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

1 indicates the box or casing which incloses the parts of the device.

2 indicates the electric motor of the automatic musical instrument or other machine or apparatusto be controlled. The motor circuit is controlled by a switch of any suitable construction, that shown in the drawings consisting of a vertically-swinging switch-lever 3 connected with one terminal 4 of the motor circuit and cooperating with a contact spring 5 connected with the other terminal 6 of said circuit. This switch-lever is connected by a link 7 with a verticallyswinging actuating lever 8 pivoted at 9 to the casing 1. A spring 10 which connects the lever 8 with a fixed part of the casing tends to close the switch lever 3. The actuating lever 8 is swung in the proper direction to open the switch lever by a trip pin or projection 11 carried by a rotary member or ratchet wheel. 12 mounted on a stud 18 which projects from the rear wall of the casing. This ratchet wheel is constantly urged to turn backwardly by a spiral spring 14 arranged within said wheel which is made hollow or barrel-shaped for this purpose, the spring being attached at its inner end to said stud and at its outer end to the barrel of the wheel, as shown in Fig. 3.,

i 15 indicates a spring-pressed detent for preventing backward rotation of the ratchet wheel 12 This detent or pawl is provided with a tail 16 which projects into the passage of a coin chute 17 so as to be tripped out of engagement with the ratchet wheel to release thelatter, when a coin 1 8 is dropped into the chute.

19- indicates a feed pawl adapted to move r the ratchet wheel 12 forward intermittently tion 23, whereby the tooth 24 of the pawl is i raised out of contact with the ratchet wheel 12, while on its rearward stroke the pawl clears said pin and is moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel by a spring 25.

In the preferred construction shown in the drawings, the feed pawl 19 is actuated by a small bellows or pneumatic 26 to the movable board of which it is pivoted at 27. This pneumatic is controlled by the perforated music sheet 28, the tracker board 29 and a pneumatic valve action of any ordinary construction. That shown in the drawings comprises a wind chest 30 containing the customary suction chamber 31 from which the air is constantly exhausted during the play ing of the instrument; a chamber 32 with which the pneumatic 26 is connected by a conduit 33 and which is alternately exhausted and flushed by the action of the usual suction valve 34 and flushing valve 35. These valves are mounted on a common stem which is actuated by the usual diaphragm or pneumatic 36, the chamber beneath this diaphragm being connected by a tube 37 with one of the tracker ducts 38. This duct cooperates with a row of perforations, one of which is shown at 39, such a perforation being usually arranged at the end of each selection of the music sheet.

The operation of the controlling device is as follows: Normally, the switch lever 3 is open, breaking themotor circuit, as shown in Fig. 2, the lever being held in this position by the engagement of the trip pin 11 with the tail of the actuating lever 8, and the spring 10 being strained ready to close the switch lever upon the release of the "actuating lever. When a coin is deposited in the chute 17, the detent 15 is momentarily .tripped out ofengagement with the ratchet wheel 12, allowing the latter to turn the distance of one tooth or step, whereupon the detent pawl reengages the wheel and prevents its further rotation until the deposit of anothercoin. By this backward rotation of the ratchet wheel, the trip pin is withdrawn from the actuating lever 8, allowing the spring 10 to depressthe same and closing the switch lever, asshown in Fig. 1,

causing the instrument to play. If no additional coins are deposited during the playing of the first selection the neumatic 26 is deflated at the end of that so ection by the registration of the first controlling perforation 39 of the music sheet with the corresponding tracker duct, thereby moving the feed pawl 19 forwardly, turning the ratchet wheel 12 the distance of one tooth and causing the pin 11 to trip the lever 8 and open the switch lever 3, as shown in Fig. 2, stopping the instrument. If, however, a second coin is deposited during the playing of the first selection, the detent 15 is again tripped, allowing the spring 14 to turn the ratchet Wheel 12 backward the distance of another tooth and causing the trip pin to recede the same distance from the tail of the actuating lever 8, thus removing said pin two steps from said lever. Under these conditions, after the playing of the first selection, the pneumatic 26 is deflated and the ratchet wheel and its trip pin are turned forward the registration of the second controllingperforation 39 with the corresponding tracker duct, thereby advancing the ratchet wheel and its pin a second step, causing said pin to trip the switch lever to its open position and stopping'the instrument after having played two selections for the two coins deposited. Should additional coins be deposited during the playing of either of said selections, the trip pin 11 will be caused to recede another step for each additional coin. This pin thus retreats one step from the actuating lever 8 for each coin deposited and is advanced one step at the end of each selection played by the instrument, but the pin does not trip the actuating lever and open the motor-switch until a piece has been played for the last coin deposited. The controlling device thus insures the playing of at least one selection for every coin deposited, giving every patron full value for his deposit.

In the operation of the device as above described, it is assumed that the coins are deposited directly in the chute 17 arranged in the casing of the controlling device.

If desired, the device may be controlled from a distance by placing the customary coin-receptacles or coin-boxes at the desired stations. In this case, an electro-magnet 10 is located in the casing and its armature 11 is arranged to engage the heel 42 of the detent 15, so that when the magnet is energized the detent is disengaged from the ratchet wheel 12 by the attraction of the armature in the same manner in which this is effected by the deposit of a coin acting upon the tail 17 of the detent. This magnet is included in a circuit containing the contact terminals 43 of said coin-boxes, so that whenever a coin is deposited in one of these boxes, it bridges the terminals thereof, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, closing the magnet-circuit and withdrawing the detent, as above described.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a switch, a single ratchetwheel having a trip-pin controlling said switch, a feed pawl arranged to engage said wheel for turning it forwardly, a pneumatic said trip-pin, a spring connected with said lever and tending to close said switch-lever, a feed pawl arranged to engage said Wheel for turning it forwardly, a pneumatic for actuating said pawl, a spring tending to turn said wheel backwardly, and a detent also engaging said wheel and having a tripmember which projects into said coin chute. Witness my hand this 18th day of August FRANK L. MCCORMICK. Witnesses:

C. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM. 

